Marquez stays grounded despite early Sepang dominance

Sepang: Championship leader Marc Marquez remains humble despite leading both practice sessions on the opening day of the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia on Friday. The Ducati Lenovo rider admitted to taking more risks, which translated into faster lap times. In FP1, Marquez posted a best time of one minute and 58.912 seconds, followed by 1:57.00s in the afternoon session.

Marquez explained, "Some years I feel good here from the beginning and some years I struggle from the start. Today, from the out lap, the feeling was good with the medium rear tyre. In the afternoon, besides the small crash - when I was taking more risks - the rest was perfect." Marquez made it clear that he is not fixated on his rival Jorge Martin's (Aprilia Racing) situation.

The Spanish rider, who is riding with a fractured wrist, was far from the pace during FP1 and called it quits in the afternoon. Martin sits second overall in the MotoGP standings, 10 points behind Marquez, who is in a pivotal position with the championship within his grasp. Marquez aims to secure as many as 37 points here, a crucial milestone in the race for the title.

He also acknowledged the Ducati bikes' promising performance at Sepang with Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing) and Fabio Di Gianantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46). While the team expects a positive outcome, they remain calm, aware that the situation could change from Friday to the weekend. Action resumes with free practice two (FP2) on Saturday morning.